Pilots Push Back Against Plan to Close Hartford-Brainard Airport

Busy general aviation hub in Connecticut capital has been redevelopment target for decades.

Jonathan Welsh

Thursday, February 03, 2022 at 04:30 PM ET

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Hartford-Brainard Airport opened in 1921. [Photo: Al Braden]

Key Takeaways:

A proposal to close Connecticut’s Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD) and redevelop its site has mobilized pilots and businesses against the plan.
The newly formed Hartford-Brainard Airport Association aims to keep the airport open, emphasizing its role as a busy regional general aviation hub housing numerous businesses and a technical school.
While city officials suggest mixed-use redevelopment, the association suspects the land may ultimately be used for trash management, viewing this as a serious threat to the historic airport.

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A proposal to close Connecticut’s Hartford-Brainard Airport (KHFD) and redevelop the site has sparked a mobilization among pilots who use the airport and businesses that operate there.

The Hartford-Brainard Airport Association, an organization formed last month and incorporated as a nonprofit, wants to keep the airport open and improve it as a way to attract more businesses to the city.